MADERA - The students of Madera High School celebrated homecoming this week and concluded the festivities with a parade, football game and the crowning of new royalty Friday.

A parade snaked its way to Memorial Stadium, the site of Friday nights football game, through the streets of Madera. Starting at Thomas Jefferson Middle School on Sunset Avenue. Several Coyote alumni lined the streets of the parade route to support their school. Around the high school, several of the feeder elementary schools to Madera High bused students to the end of the parade on Olive Avenue.

The parade was delayed for a time near on the railroad tracks at Pine Street when a seventh grade football player from Thomas Jefferson fell off a float and may have been ran over by the semi-truck pulling the float. The student was transported to a local hospital for treatment by Pistoresi Ambulance and the parade got on its way about twenty minutes later. Gardner Trucking of Chico, California provided the trucks for the floats this year.

Grand marshal for this years homecoming was former Madera High School vice principal Jeff Mendoza. Mr. Mendoza was a graduate of Madera High School in 1966 and a member of the football, wrestling, baseball and track and field teams when he was in school. He was also a former football and baseball coach for the Coyotes. Before accepting the vice principal position at the high school, Mendoza served as vice principal at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Mendoza retired in 2006 after serving 29 years with the Madera Unified School District.

The sophomore class of 2017 won the class float completion and they are advised by Mr. Sally and Mr. Needham. The Maya Club won the float competition in the CLUB category.

The Homecoming Royal Court for this year was Brielle Hefner, Kylan Malady, Jennifer Pulido and Tianna McNair in the queen race, and Lukas Boehm, Daniel Garcia, Alec Gamboa and Michael Conklin in the king race.

The halftime show was topped off with the crowning of the king and queen. With the help of the 2013 king and queen, Christian Dollar and Marissa Torresi, Lukas Boehm and Jennifer Pulido were crowned the winners.

Following halftime, MHS Coach Boner Cunnings and his varsity Coyote's extended their winning streak to five with an easy defeat of the Mustangs of Tulare Western High School 52-28. The highlight of the night for the football team was kicker Even Rios 50-yard field goal kick which sets a new school record for Madera High.

The Coyotes have next week off but then face their only real competition of the season in the next five weeks with Bullard, San Joaquin Memorial, Edison, Sanger and of course the Battle of Stadium Road against Madera South. Can Madera break a seven year straight losing season streak? Did a weak first half of the season and dropping to Division 3 give the Coyotes the confidence to take on this big boys of Edison, Sanger and Bullard? Stay tuned.